Tai O is an old fishing village with a long history. Salt production was the major industry in Tai O back in the Sung Dynasty about a thousand years ago. Together with its prosperous fishing industry, Tai O has been the most flourishing port of the Pearl River in the past hundred years. It is told that Spanish landed at Tai O when they first came to China. It is also believed that the famous general of late Sung Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang, wrote his last poem here.

Tai O has preserved characteristics of Hong Kong in early development stage. Traditional customs and stilt houses of Tanka people can still be found here.

The coastal line of Tai O is the place where seawater and fresh water merge forming an ideal land for mangroves. Mangroves are a large ecosystem and thus attract nature lovers. Visitors can also see the endangered pink dolphins frolicking in the sea off Lantau Island.